


Wait... are you asleep?

by cancerca



Category: The Abyss Surrounds Us Series - Emily Skrutskie
Genre: Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Lesbian Character, Pirates, Sea Monsters, Sleep talking, i swear theres not enough fic for this series, swift is a cutie, trauma really hits different, we been knew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:40:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28447815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cancerca/pseuds/cancerca
Summary: Cas is ruminating on her thoughts and fears over the last few months, but the uneven mess of blond hair in her lap apparently has something very important to tell her.(spoilers for the Edge of the Abyss)
Relationships: Swift Kent/Cassandra Leung
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	Wait... are you asleep?

**Author's Note:**

> so this is my first fanfic in over five years, but this series is so criminally underrated that i had to add more fic to the tag. enjoy

The gentle tapping of rain droplets had long lulled Swift into a peaceful sleep, head nestled into Cas's lap. It was the first time they had slept soundly in weeks, also the first nap Cas had ever seen them take. 

It had been close to five months since Cas had struck the infamous deal with the SRC to keep the crew of the Minnow, and her beast, free and safe. Hunting down Hellbeasts had proven to be a tedious task, what without information flowing from the Salt. Many of the other pirate crews hadn't taken kindly to the Minnow's 'betrayal', and thus refused to offer any knowledge of rogue beasts. 

In that time Lemon had only spotted three Hellbeast on the radar, all far too deep for Cas and Bao to dive, much more so out of the range of Phobos and Deimos. Yesterday had been the first time the ship encountered a Hellbeast near enough to actually take down. A rather small cetoid that had barely required Bao's help to battle. 

That small victory was enough to lift the weight of fear off of the shoulders of their crew, and Cas finally felt she could take a proper breath again. Every day that the Minnow failed to find a new target was another day she questioned her decision, her deal with the SRC. She could almost hear the captain- late captain's- words in her ear: 'Quit doubting yourself. Stop giving me problems, give me a solution.' Even with all of the horrors Santa Elena had put forth into Cas's world, of how she had twisted her hold on her, forced her to be the knife in Swift's back, Cas still mourned the pirate queen. A ruler whose heart belonged to this ship, who would do anything to defend it. A woman who despite all her cruelty, was noble enough to warrant Cas's respect. It hurt to think of her sometimes, but the voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Santa Elena's had helped her make countless impossible calls since their commission began. 

And if Cas took a second to ignore the nausea rising at the thought, she knew it would help her again. 

But for now, the Minnow had faced it's first monster since the Deal, and the crew was free to celebrate. Swift, who never missed a party, had opted to leave the festivities early, instead favoring the warmth of her bedsheets and the sound of her lover's heartbeat. 

It was her first solid sleep in weeks, as she had favored pouring over maps and security footage, updates from civilian ships, anything to hint at the location of a Hellbeast; anything to save her crew. 

So as soon as she left the café, Swift had dragged Cas from the trainer deck and into the Captain's suite, now cleared of all of Santa Elena's trophies, and onto the king sized bed that was bigger than their previous dorm. They had pulled the shorter girl down onto the mattress with their arms around her slender waist before cuddling into Cas's stomach, soft breaths tickling at her belly. 

Watching her girlfriend sleep peacefully for the first time in what felt like an eternity felt better than finding that cetoid on the radar. She had tried countless times to convince Swift to take a break, to eat something, to stop pacing over the goddamn deck you're going to knock into someone. Cas had even tried more... unconventional tactics to bring Swift back to bed. Despite being as lovestruck as they were, Swift always reverted back to the maps spread across the desk. Falling back into the churning whirlwind of their thoughts. 

So now, with an uneven mess of sandy blond hair curled into her lap, Cas swore that not even the end of the world could move her to wake the teenage captain. 

Alas, her hopes of Swift sleeping through the night were doused. She heard her name mumbled from against her stomach, barely audible over the pitter-patter of rain against the window.

"What is it?" she answered. 

"Did I tell you?" came the reply from her lap. 

"Tell me what?" 

"I told you."

"Actually you didn't seeing as how I'm still not sure what you're talking about," Cas snapped back. She could barely hear Swift's gruff voice from against her shirt, and the fact that her girlfriend was being so dodgey wasn't helping her confusion either. She took a moment to calm herself, "What exactly do you think you told me?"

"Varma.."

Cas waited for further explanation, but when none came she prompted her girlfriend to continue. 

"Varma said can't go," Swift's words were quiet, and slightly slurred together in her grogginess. 

"Who can't go?" Cas questioned. 

"You," Swift answered, in a tone that sounded like the answer couldn't have been more obvious. 

"Me? I can't go where? Why not?" The blonde wasn't making much sense and Cas was starting to get annoyed. 

"Yeah. Can't go. See, you get it," Swift's voice pitched higher than usual as a gentle yawn passed through them. 

It was at this point Cas had the sense to brush some of the hair out of Swift's eyes, aiming to angle their face toward her own and demand and explanation. Cas did not, in fact, expect to see Swift's eyes closed shut, features perfectly relaxed. 

"Swift?"

"Hmm..?" came the mumbled reply.

"Wait... are you asleep?" Cas had to muscle back her grin, was her girlfriend sleep talking?

"Exactly, Varma said you can't go." Cas had to cover her mouth at her girlfriends words, her suspicions confirmed. Captain Swift Kent of the Minnow, perhaps the most dangerous ship in the entire NeoPacific, killer of beasts, and successor to the ruthless Santa Elena was mumbling in her sleep like a child. 

Cas considered waking her, considered not saying anything else, even considered reaching for her radio to bring Varma himself into the mix, knowing how badly he would love to see this. But all of those ideas die as soon as they are born. Cas opted instead to try to prompt further conversation from her captain, hoping to see what nonsense might spill from Swift's subconscious. 

"Did Varma say anything else?"

"Yes." 

"Yes? What else did Varma say?" Cas wishes to god she had a way to get this on video, something - anything - to preserve this moment. 

"No nothing else," Swift answers as they burrow deeper into the fabric of Cas's t-shirt, strong hands wrapping around her waist and pulling her close. It almost makes Cas melt - almost - but she has a mission that she can't simply abandon. 

But no matter how much gentle prying she does, her efforts are fruitless. Swift's answer changes back and forth, yes to no, never making any sense and never saying anything new. Cas is about to give up, but hopes maybe one more shot can get her the answer shes looking for. 

"So did Varma say anything else or not?" Her voice comes out shaky, hinting at the barely restrained frustration that's been building in her chest. 

"No... but there's something else," Swift's voice responds, still sleep addled but with less of a slur in her words than earlier. 

Cas takes a deep breath before pushing forward. "What is it?"

"Nothing.."

Cas can feel steam coming from her ears. 

"Just that I love you."

And just like that, her anger fades. Cas's body freezes momentarily, before sinking into the warmth of Swift's words. The frustration previously bubbling in her chest has vanished completely, replaced by a familiar feeling she has refused to name since her days as Santa Elena's trainee. 

She names it now. In the darkness of their suite, with the medley of gentle rain and the thrumming of the ship's engines, Cas feels more ready than ever to make promises there's no one around but her to remember. Swift won't recall the conversation come morning, and won't expect Cas to keep it either. 

Here, Cas can speak it into existence without facing its repercussions, and it seems a better time than ever, wrapped in the arms of the pirate girl who saved her life. 

She leans down and whispers into scraggly blond hair an impossibly quiet, "I love you, too", before pulling the covers over the two of them and allowing sleep to claim her.

**Author's Note:**

> so there ya have it, ive got a LOT more ideas for quick little fics of Cas and Swift, so let me know if you want to see them
> 
> (btw yes i decided to use she/they pronouns for Swift. i use them myself and it felt right that swift would too, but maybe im projecting lol)


End file.
